May Must Haves

So May was absolutely nuts. Forgive me as I acknowledge the fact that I was not very good at blogging during it. I think I worked every day but two, which included 5 weddings, many trials, and lots of other fun makeup things. I also celebrated my 28th birthday which is nuts but was absolutely amazing! Thank you for the support and kindness you all share with my throughout the year, but especially on my birthday. 

Today I'm sharing my favorites for May because I actually tried a lot of new things and have been loving them so many of them.

First off I recently decided to switch to a natural toothpaste, which I had put off for so long because I had heard so many terrible things about how bad they tasted. But I was visiting a friend who lives near Trader Joe's and decided to give theirs a shot. The All Natural Anticavity Peppermint Toothpaste with Baking Soda and Flouride  (I've linked a 2 pack on Amazon for those of you who can't get to a Trader Joe's easily) is honestly not as bad as I was expecting. Yes you can tell it's a natural toothpaste because it doesn't have that sweet, strong flavor of the bad stuff but I'm totally used to it now and it doesn't bother me. I feel like my teeth are just as clean as before. The only thing that I don't get from it is that super minty fresh feeling that you get from the bad stuff, but honestly I think that's fine since it's better for me. 

Next up we have probably my favorite find of the month that is courtesy of my amazing friend Suzie who gave me this product for my birthday! I've talked about this before on here, but I do not let the sun damage my face in the summer. I always have SPF 55 on it, hats, sunglasses, towels, haha whatever I can find to protect myself. This obviously means that I end up with a face that is pretty pale compared to my body; that usually gets some color despite my constant SPF because it's just exposed more. Insert the Coola Suncare Organic Sunless Tan Anti-Aging Face Serum. I put one pump on every night after my skincare routine and wake up sunkissed every morning. It's not super dark (although I'm guessing that's because I only use a little, if I try to apply more and get darker I'll let you know). The fact that it's a beautiful olive and natural looking fake tan is just the beginning. It's also an anti-aging serum loaded with Argan Oil, Vitamin C, Hyaluronic Acid, & plant stem cells to leave you feeling hydrated and glowing! It also smells delicious and you can add it to your moisturizer if you want. When Suzie gave it to me she said it's favorites worthy and she was right! 

I have done videos before showing how I love to mix a liquid highlighter in with my foundation to give me a dewier skin look and have always used the Becca Shimmering Skin Perfecter before to achieve this. However, it's quite expensive and I wasn't sure if I wanted to commit to a whole other bottle. When I was shopping with friends in Ulta in April, we discovered the Maybelline Master Strobing Liquid Illuminating Highlighter in Light/Iridescent and I thought it looked pretty close to the Becca shade in Opal. Fast forward to purchasing and trying it out and it's a pretty close dupe.  If you compare them side by side the Becca one looks a little more finely milled, but once mixed in with foundation and applied to the face I cannot tell a difference. I am so happy I found an amazing dupe that is less than a quarter of the price! They do have other shades as well if you don't want the blush rosey color that is like Opal. 

I received the gorgeous Tarte Aspyn Ovard Eye & Cheek Palette for my birthday from another amazing friend (I know I'm the luckiest girl to have all of these sweet and amazing friends) and luckily with all of my weddings and makeup I've been doing I've had plenty of time to test it out. I love the whole thing, my only critique is that the really glitterly/shimmery shades are a little tricky to apply. I tried using a wet brush with MAC Fix + on it to apply them and that helps, but can also be tricky in a chunky way if that makes sense. The mattes are so beautiful and smooth and easy to use, the blush is an amazing shade for summer, and the highlighter is also beautiful. Overall I love it the shades and think it'll be a great palette to take with me when I want to travel. 

I have saved the best for last! If you have been reading my posts recently, you've noticed that I love Glossier. I have been trying more and more out from them and when they came out with a Mascara I KNEW I had to try it. Lash Slick is if not the best, one of the best mascaras I have EVER tried. I know that is a bold statement but I love it. I saw it described somewhere as giving you lash extension like lashes and I think that is such a great description. It doesn't look like clumpy, thick fake mascara lashes, it really looks soft and natural which I love. The wand is awesome and separates your lashes so well too. If you want a bolder look you could always layer a second and thicker mascara over it which is usually what I do if want a bolder look for night time. The best part for me though is that it truly lasts all day on my lashes. No smudging, no flaking, no changes; it still looks great at the end of the day. Here is my link for you to get 10% off your first purchase from Glossier. I highly recommend checking Lash Slick out if you haven't yet! 

What were your favorites in the month of May? Comment below and let me know! I love hearing about the new things you try!

Have a beautiful week,

Andrea

Dre Does Friday Favorites

It's been too long since I've shared some Friday Favorites so I thought I'd give you a taste of what I've been really enjoying lately.

First up we have a fall themed favorite that I discovered when looking for something else! I'm a huge fan of greek yogurt and it's the only dairy I consumer besides the occasional addition of cheese when I'm cooking. I heard that Chobani had Pumpkin Spice Yogurt and even though I didn't think I would like it I set out to find some. Luckily I came across the last one while grocery shopping last week and right next to it was an abundance of the Cinnamon Pear flavor. I grabbed a few and it turns out I ended up hating the pumpkin spice one and being OBSESSED with the Cinnamon Pear flavor. It's so delicious. While they are higher in sugar than I like (15g of sugar and 12g of protein), if you're looking for a healthier option to having dessert at night, I highly recommend trying the Cinnamon Pear flavor as an evening snack!

 Even though I'm already more than halfway through the 20's I really enjoyed reading this article from Emily, one of my favorite fashion and lifestyle blogger's from Cupcakes and Cashmere. It's filled with some great reminders so take a look when you have a second.

I have been obsessed with the Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Spotlight in Opal (the liquid version of the Shimmering Skin Perfector family). It came in a kit of four mini's from Becca that I purchased about 6 months ago. While I fell in love with two of the four really quickly, this one kind of got thrown into a drawer and for some reason I decided to pull it out last week and start using it. Not sure what compelled me to do so but thanks to whatever intuition I should thank for my now glowing skin! It has a nice, flat applicator that makes it really easy to dab one side on one cheek, flip it over and dab the other side on the other cheek! Then I use my beauty blender to blend the product well into my skin so I have no harsh edges (I should note that I always apply it after my under eye concealer as my last liquid product. I then set my under eye concealer with powder and finish my face with my other powder products). I love how dewy and healthy it makes my skin look. The nice thing about the full size version of this product is that it comes with a pump so you can mix it in with foundation or moisturizer to give you an all over dewy illumination. It will definitely be added to my beauty wishlist.

While I haven't mentioned it for awhile here on Dre Does I reach for my Aveda Beautifying Composition often especially as the weather starts to get chillier. Recently I've been noticing some random dry patches around my nose and eye area so I pulled out my trusted friend and have been adding a drop here and there to combat these random flaky spots. I love the aroma and the versitility of this product and will never be without it. Click here to see a post I did on it more than a year and a half ago showing 11 uses for this magical product!

Cycling or spinning (depending on what you call it...haha) used to be a huge part of my life. When I was a senior in high school my mom dragged me into a class with her and I was hooked! I am super competitive by nature and loved being able to push myself every class. I started going multiple times a week and it became a huge part of my workout routine. I slowly got out of it as college and life got busier and it had been years since I have done it. A few months ago though, the gym at my apartment complex got a spin bike and I couldn't have been more excited. I dusted off my spin shoes and have been spinning at least 4 times a week since! I forgot how much I truly love the workouts. You can find great spinning workout ideas on Pinterest if you need some inspiration. If you're not the biggest fan of running and you've never tried it I highly recommend giving it a shot! I think it's really important to find a class in your area to get started so that you can learn proper form and technique from professionals before you try it on your own.

Dre Does Makeup to Enhance your Tan

On Wednesday I shared my facial self tanning routine that involved two wonderful products from Tarte Cosmetics (click here if you missed it), and I promised I would share the products I've been using to enhance my tan to look very glowy and natural.

 When I have a fake tan on my face, I find that I need to do a few key things with my makeup to make sure it doesn't come off as fake. I try to keep things as simple as possible because adding a lot of  bronzing and tanning will eventually be impossible to pull off as natural looking.

Above are the key products that I have been using in a simple bronzed makeup routine. It's focused mostly on my skin since the tan is what I'm enhancing, with nothing much on the eyes.

The first thing I do is apply my foundation. I love MAC Face & Body because it is a light coverage that is waterproof and natural looking. I want my tan to shine through so I think it's important to find a foundation that compliments my skin tone rather than covering it up. I use a brush to buff this into my skin really well.

Next, I use my Urban Decay Naked Skin Weightless Concealer to cover any blemishes or areas that need a little more coverage. I love how light this concealer feels on the skin and how natural it looks. I really agree that it is weightless and complete coverage.

After concealing, I work on bronzing. I found this Sephora Collection MicroSmooth Baked Bronzer Duo in 01 Honey Heat in my collection that I remembered that I used to love and decided to put it to work. I love how one half is really shimmery and the other is more of a matte finish. I think it's important to use different tones and shades of bronzers when trying to use makeup to enhance your tan because they create dimension. The more dimension, the more natural your look will be. I use a large powder brush to mix the two shades in a 'E3' pattern. This simply means that if you trace from your left temple, down to the hollows of your cheeks, to your jawline, it creates the shape of an E. If you do the same on the right side it creates a number 3. Google this method if you need a little more explanation. It's really easy! I find this method is the quickest and easiest way to add a beautiful bronzed glow to the skin in the areas where you would naturally tan. I then take a smaller fluffy brush and use the darker, less shimmery side to contour my cheeks a little bit.

Next, I apply Benefit's Dallas blush because it is a very natural warm brown tone. It looks less like blush and more like a natural flush on the skin and it complements a tan really nicely. After blush, I move on to highlighter. I've been loving the Becca Shimmering Skin Perfecter in Rose Gold because it is such a rosy highlight shade. It looks beautiful applied to the high points of the face.

Lastly, I apply my brows and mascara. For these I use my favorites both by Benefit; Gimme Brow (a tinted brow gel that voluminizes and keeps my brows in place) and They're Real (my holy grail mascara). As with all of my makeup looks, I always spray a setting spray to hold the looks in place for the rest of the day. For this one I used Urban Decay's All Nighter.

There you have it! My quick, easy, and natural makeup look to emphasize a beautiful fake (or real) tan! As usual, if you have any questions please let me know!

Have a beautiful weekend,

Dre

Dre Does May Favorites

Happy June friends! It is already time for a monthly favorites post! While I haven't been wearing that much makeup this past month, I still have been loving some great beauty products.

Color Pop Super Shock Eyeshadows: Like everyone and their grandma recently, I've been obsessed with Colour Pop. I have only their shadows right now but I have been loving the texture, wear, and look of these unique shadows. I did a haul a little while ago so click here to read about and see swatches of what I got! 

Becca Beach Tint in Guava: This is a product that I would have probably never tried had it not come in a small deluxe sized sample kit of Becca Cosmetics products from an Ulta 21 Days of Beauty deal. Even after swatching it the first time I was unimpressed. It wasn't until I was in a hurry one day and slapped it on my lips that I realized how amazing it is. On my lips it gives a very natural and 'your lips but better' color that dries to a complete matte finish. It seriously feels like nothing on the lips and doesn't dry them out. You can wear these tints on the cheeks too but I honestly haven't tried it yet because I want to save it for my lips...that's how obsessed I am. 

Tarte Maracuja C-Brighter Eye Treatment: I tried this for the first time after getting a sample and loved the texture of it. I look for eye creams that are moisturizing but super light because I am so oily especially in the warmer months, and this one does the job. I had a feeling I would like it because the actual Maracuja oil is a holy grail product that I use twice a day, but I didn't think I would love it this much. I really feel like all the Vitamin C has helped brighten my eye area, which comes as no surprise because the oil does such a good job of brightening my complexion all over and fading my hyperpigmentation. Good job Tarte. You did it again!

Dermablend Setting Powder in Original: I love this setting powder so much. While I know I recently raved about the Laura Mercier one, I think that this one wears much longer than that one. I still prefer the finish of Laura Mercier's however. I personally have really long bottom lashes and if my setting powder isn't great, my mascara will dot under my eyes throughout the day. I find that no matter how oily I get, this powder keeps my mascara from transferring which I love! 

Too Faced Natural Matte Palette: If you had told me the day I bought this that I would be putting this in a favorites post I would have laughed at you. I hated this palette so much when I got it and was about to return it but something told me to try it some more. I felt like I had purchased a palette with colors I already owned that I would probably never pick up because they were too powdery, but after some use I realized how wonderful it really is. It's the perfect warm neutral matte palette because the range is amazing, the colors are so blendable, and it's compact size makes it so easy to travel with. If you want something a little more warm than the Naked Basics Palettes by Urban Decay, definitely get this one.

Red Carpet Manicure Starter Kit: I don't have anything bad to say about this kit besides maybe the color range (I wish there were more because I'm so obsessed haha). I purchased it a few days before my trip to Puerto Rico because I got bumped from my Gel Manicure appointment at work and knew I needed to have nice nails that would last. I had heard nothing but great things about this kit and I'm so happy with it. I have done probably at least 10 manicures with it and love how long they last on me. Follow my Instagram account (@dre_does) to stay updated on what manicures I do. It comes with everything you need to get started plus one polish. The one pictured above is of the Special Edition Blue Cinderella Lamp and blue polish because that is the one I got, but I believe the kit normally comes with a red polish and black light. Let me know if you want an in-depth review on the system and I would be happy to do so in a more detailed post!

What have you been loving this past month? Let me know in a comment below!

Have a beautiful day,

Dre